DONE DEAL: West Ham confirm striker sale

West Ham United have confirmed that striker Diafra Sakho has left the club.

The Senegal international has joined French Ligue 1 club Rennes on a permanent basis for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £9m.

The 28-year-old tried to manoeuvre a move to Rennes on transfer deadline day during the summer, making an unauthorised trip to France to discuss personal terms and take a medical, Despite the Hammers not giving him permission to do so. Ultimately, a deal was not agreed and the player was forced to stay.

He is believed to have be unhappy at the disparity in wages of himself and his fellow strikers at West Ham, despite him having a better strike rate than his teammates.

He departs east London after three-and-a-half seasons in Claret and Blue, during which he scored 24 goals in 71 first-team appearances.

He joined West Ham from Metz in 2014, and has a great start to life at the club , scoring in on his first six Premier League starts to equal a club record, winning the top-flight’s Player of the Month award in October of the same year.

The news of his move to Rennes will come as a disappointment to several Premier League clubs including Crystal Palace, Swansea and Brighton, who have all been linked with having an interest.